Demarcus McGaughey

United States, 1975

Texas native and Brooklyn-based mixed media artist Demarcus McGaughey captures the beauty, strength and vibrancy of people of color with both insight and passion. In the early days of his career, the artist employed his talents in the worlds of graphic design and advertising but it was through painting that McGaughey discovered an avenue through which to tell stories in his own visual language.

A lifelong student of human nature and psychology, McGaughey assumes the role of narrator in his paintings, telling heroic stories of his subjects’ self-actualization and determination. A certified life coach as well as an artist, McGaughey empowers the viewer to believe that life is what you create it to be and his portraiture work reveals triumphant tales of African American subjects who manifest their destinies, their eyes revealing their souls. The artist also pays homage to cultural influences using elements of pop art, mass media, comic books and advertising – and the through line found in all the work of this exciting young artist is, indeed, the illumination of inspiring stories of Black resilience and triumph.

McGaughey received his Bachelor of Arts from Prairie View A&M University and his work has been featured in numerous galleries and publications in the U.S. as well as in Spain. In addition, he has completed art residencies with Mas el sigols in Barcelona, Nfinit Foundation Arts Residency in Brooklyn, ArtCrawl Harlem in New York City, Chateau Orquevaux in France and Ma’s House in Southampton NY.